AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

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Brooklyn-based artist Pierre Francillon was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in a West Indian household, he was, as he says, "very lucky to be a developing artist at the right place at the right time.” Pierre’s skills and perspectives were developed by his excursions into differing mediums, as well as the “Caribbean culturing” he says he received at home. His work varies from fashion and painting to performance and healing/body work. Pierre’s friendships with major figures in fashion, the art world and music, developed early in his life, have had a huge influence on his work. His adventurous nature brought him into direct contact with pop artists Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, but his acquaintanceship with Jean-Michel Basquiat was of primary importance, as Basquiat kept him in school and directed Pierre to the spirit of his art. Music legend Larry Levan was, he says, “another blessing in my life,” as Levan brought an audio component to Pierre’s art. Due to the experimental nature of both his teachers and the times in which his perspective was formed, Pierre enjoys experimentation in his art, and always seeks to help other artists keep the spirit of art about them. He feels the cultural context of an artist’s work is of primary importance, and says: "I always was sort of a history buff, remembering dates, won or lost battles, great events and their causes. I feel this is important, for if one really looks into it, the cultures which reached a zenith were the ones which respected their artists. I really feel that there shouldn't be any starving artist." Look in AMP’s Art and More Painting galleries to see some of Pierre’s powerful, complex, and passionate work.